Milpitas Library - Tales From The Orchard - March 30th
Tales From The Orchard: How Innovators From Apple, NeXT & General Magic Changed the World
Embark on an interactive journey through the history of Apple and several notable spin-off companies, with a special focus on their most intriguing and overlooked products that directly influence the tech we use today. Following the presentation, you are invited to get hands-on with functional vintage computers, including classic Apple Il and Macintosh systems, an early NeXT Cube, an ultra-rare BeBox, General Magic devices, and more. It’s truly an exceptional experience!
The Retro Roadshow had the honor of presenting and exhibiting Tales From The Orchard in the beautiful ornate auditorium of the Milpitas Library on Sunday, March 30th. We had approximately 91 attendees between 2:00 - 5:00 PM!
After the event, Huxley and I got some necessary sustenance at Casa Azteca Restaurant and debriefed. We were enamored with Don, our on-site liaison who knocked it out of the park with his introduction of us to his library community. If I had a recording, I’d play it before every Retro Roadshow event! It truly was that fantastic!
We were also amazed by the number of children that attended this event with their parents. They tried to figure out how to access games, asked questions when they needed help, even perused through the books for help! They were captivated by all this “old” stuff that the grown ups were over the moon for.
It was also interesting how many people picked up the books we had on display and read them. Moving forward, we’ll have more books on display.
Time and time again someone would say to us:
“This is my childhood!”
“This is so cool!”
“Thank you for sharing this with the public!”
“It must take a lot of time to keep these machines working.”
“Thank you for doing this!”
“Do you hear that?!? I LOVE THIS KEYBOARD!”
Huxley spoke with a woman who told him that she recently moved to the West Coast to be near her son. He has been encouraging her to socialize and explore the community. She saw our event on the Milpitas Library website and, even though she’s not really into computers, she thought she’d come check it out. She learned so much and loved Huxley’s presentation and couldn’t wait to tell her son all about it.
A dad I was speaking with told me he was SO EXCITED to see the BeBox, because he used to collect all kinds of software and had all of the Be software at one time. We commiserated how kids these days will never know the time-consuming repetition of inserting a software disc over and over and over again. At present, it’s so easy to download software and updates from the cloud. They’re missing out on the boxes that the software would sell in - all the artwork. Soon after, a kid grabbed the OS X box displayed next to the iMac and asked what it was. The look on his face while his dad explained software installation back in the day was amusing!
Then a woman who entered the auditorium gasped at the sight of the Apple IIGS and told her son that it was the very first computer she ever used. It was very sweet to see mother and son playing a game on it together. The smile on her face was beaming.
Oh, P and K whom I wrote about in the Morgan Hill Library blog made it to this event! I was so happy they were able to make time to attend this Retro Roadshow.
A librarian who attended the presentation during his break said that he knew about Apple and some of the companies that left and started their own companies, but he didn’t know the magnitude of their contributions that shaped today’s technology. He learned a lot and thought Huxley’s presentation style was engaging and really well done.
As we wrapped up the event, a high schooler told me how cool it was to see so many classic computers in one place. She was excited to tell her friends about it and will follow us on our socials so she can attend future events.
Overall, Huxley and I are still basking in the afterglow of our March events with the Santa Clara County Library District. We really loved hearing your stories, partaking in your nostalgia, and creating a community. So, don’t let it be your last Retro Roadshow event - follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or on our Events Page on this website. Thank you to all who experienced this Retro Roadshow event!
In the month of March, the Santa Clara County Library District hosted The Retro Roadshow for three contracted events at their Cupertino, Morgan Hill, and Milpitas libraries. Special thanks to Cheryl Lee (Library Services Manager), Shoshana Francis (Supervising Librarian, Adult & Teen Services - Milpitas), the librarian who got me a bandage when I gave myself a paper cut, the staff members who helped Don set-up the auditorium, and on-site liaison extraordinaire Don Phillips (Adult Services Librarian - Milpitas). Thank you SCCLD for a spectacular spring!